Tommy Barnett Giving Messages

Quickly I want to read you one little verse of scripture. It is found in 1 Samuel 15:22. And Samuel said, has the Lord has as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices. As in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold to obey is better than sacrifice. Say it with me. Behold to obey is better than sacrifice. Come on, say it loud. Behold to obey. You know somehow in our thinking asChristians we have a little bit of a philosophy that there is a limit to what God has. In other words we believe that what God has is going to run out. For the Bible tells us the whole earth is His the fullness of the earth. And one man has always said that cattle on the hills and all the minerals in the hills. Matter of fact the Bible says the whole earth is filled with the glory of God. There is no lack, there is no limitation to what God has Matter of fact there is no scarcity when it comes to God. Say a good Amen for that!Now the Bible says if we obey. I really believe this is what this is saying. We won’t have to sacrifice. But if you have the philosophy that there is a scarcity of the abundance and the blessing and the glory of God, therefore I must horde it I must hold onto it, I’ve got to save up for a rainy day and I cannot give. If that’s your philosophy you have not learned the mind of God. The mind of God is give and it shall be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, running over men are going to give unto your bosom. Until you learn to obey the law of God that is bring the10% to the storehouse and give an offering on top of it because an offering is a seed that you sow. Until we learn the principles ofGod’s Word, then we can never get in on the pressed down, shaken together and running over. Until we get involved in God’s plan and meet His conditions we cannot expect the windows of Heaven to open and the blessings to pour out. Therefore it is more blessed to give and receive and let me read my scripture again. Behold to obey is better than sacrifice.

Take your Bibles turn with me to Malachi, Malachi 8. Can a man rob God? Stop right there. I wonder really the question has been asked can little men rob a big great Omnipotent, Omnipresent God.Can he do it? Well, He’s too big for a little man to think about robbing a great big powerful God. However, the Bible tells us there is a way that that takes place. And let me tell you briefly just how it is. You know when we don’t pray and seek the Lord theBible says, that you have not because you ask not. We rob God when we don’t pray. Because He said I want to answer your prayer. He said I want to bless you but you’ve got to ask if you want to receive, you got to knock. So we rob God when we do not pray. How do we rob God, we rob God when we don’t read HisWord. Or how could He guide us if we do not use His book. How can He direct us and teach us. When He said He wanted to teach us in all things, say a good Amen! But there’s a third way we robGod. And that’s when we withhold His tithe and offering. Did you notice I said His? That’s because the tithe is not ours. The tithe is the 10% that God says is mine. And you’ve been made stewards to take care of it. I think the best way is to explain is the story I’ve told you before. Bro. Oral Roberts told me this story one day when he came to visit me here for a couple of days here inPhoenix. He said my son Richard wasn’t living for God. My heart was burning and I went to visit him in Kansas University where he’d been given a scholarship for the golf team. Richard didn’t want any part of the work of God. I talked to him that day and fellowshipped with him that day. Before I left I said Richard, I wish you’d get right with God. I wish you’d come back to Tulsa and help me. He said I need you to sing on the program, you could minister and oh I need you and I could do so much for you if you’d just serve the Lord. And Richard said, Dad, don’t mention servingGod to me. I don’t want that route. I’m not going that direction anymore. Dad don’t talk about it to me. I don’t want to hear about it. But Oral Roberts said he went out and got in my car and laid my head on the steering wheel and I just wept. I said I’d like to do so much for Richard. I’d like to bless him God. But he won’t let me bless him. He is robbing me of my ability to bless him because he won’t serve you. But he said God spoke to me and said, men are robbing me I want to open up the windows of Heaven and bless them financially. I want to rebuke the devourer in their hearts. I want to open up the windows of Heaven to pour out a blessing that they cannot take. I want to do it, but they’ve robbed me of that blessing. Because I cannot violate my Word, there are principles that have to be kept, like give and it shall be given to me. Today as we gather God’s tithe, don’t you rob God of blessing you. When you withhold the 10% you rob God from being able to bless you and prosper you because He has to keep His Word. But He says give and it shall be given unto thee.